Articulating platform structure for supporting mattress on contour beds



June 3, 1969 M P. sPlTz I 3,447,170

ARTICULATING PLATFO'RM STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING MATTRESS ON CONTOUR BEDS Filed Sept. 5, 1967 United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 5-91 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An articulate mattress supporting platform structure for an adjustable contour bed in which one or more rigid panels of plywood are secured to bed frame sections, each panel having a pad of cushioning material such as foa-m rubber bonded to its upper surface, and in the case of multiple panels, the panels being positioned end-to-end with Iadjacent edges spaced apart and bridged by the cushioning material so that when the panels are moved to a relatively angular position from a coplanar position, the bridging cushioning material will be compressed and creased. An enevlope encloses the cushioning material and is marginally secured to the associated panel or panels.

Background of the invention The present invention relates generally to a mattress supporting structure.

The present invention is especially useful for embodiment as a component part of adjustable bed units such as have heretofore been primarily utilized in hospitals and similar institutions where it is desirable to position different portions of a patients body in a variety of positions during a course of treatment or otherwise. Such beds were provided with pivotally connected sections in end-to-end relation, these sections in the usual construction being provided with mattress supports of link fabric which was peripherally attached along its sides and ends by means of coiled tension Springs to the section frames.

Currently, there is an increasing demand to utilize adjustable beds of the above described character in homes and other domestic uses, such beds being provided with appropriate power means and selective control which will permit the user to .selectively adjust the bed sections as desired for comfortable television viewing, reading, yand the like.

Link fabric and other means of mattress support which have been utilized to particularly adapt these beds for hospital use are relatively crude and not designed for permanent use such as that in the home. According to the present invention, it is proposed to provide a higher quality and more attractive mattress supporting articulating platform, which will not be excessively thick (to maintain a relatively low bed height) and which will be more economical to produce than an articulating innerspring support structure.

Summary of the invention The present invention relates generally to a mattress supporting structure, and is more particularly concerned with an articulate platform structure for use in connection with adjustable contour beds and the like.

It is one object of the invention to provide a mattress supporting structure for use in combination with an adjustable bed frame, such structure embodying a unique supporting platform in which a rigid panel is secured to the frame section, this panel/having bonded to its upper surface a pad of flexible resilient-like material.

Another object is to provide an articulate mattress supporting platform structure which embodies a plurality of 3,447,170 Patented June 3, 1969 "ice panels of rigid material in end-to-end relation which are respectively securable to adjacent pivoted sections of the bed frame, these panels having a single continuous pad of flexible resilient material bonded to their upper surfaces and bridging the space between the adjacent edges of the panels.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing several embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon.

Brief description of the drawings Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are for illustra-tive purposes only:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational vew of an adjustable bed structure embodying a mattress supporting structure according to the present invention, the bed sections being positoned in coplanar relationship;

FIG. 2 is a similar view to that of FIG. 1 with the mattress supporting structure removed, and showing the bed sections in relatively adjusted positions;

FIG, 3 is a side elevational view of the mattress supporting platform structure of fthe present invention illustrating the coplanar position of sections thereof, and relative positions in phantom lines when adjusted to an acute angle above the coplanar position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the same showing adjacent sections in relatively adjusted positions; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the support to show further details of construction.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring more specifically to the drawings, for illustrative purposes, the present invention will be described in connection with a bed of the adjustable type, although it will be appreciated that the bed sections might comprise an adjustable chair or chaise lounge, and the present invention is not to be limited specilically to bed structures per se.

More specifically, the illustrated bed structure comprises a unitary assembly composed of a lower horizontal supporting frame A and an upper frame B.

The frame A may embody a variety of constructional arrangements but is disclosed in this application as co-mprising a frame Structure which is of rigid substantially rectangular configuration with a side rail 10 at each side supported by end leg members 11 and 12 so that the side rail will occupy a substantially horizontal position` The side rails may be connected by the usual end rails and intermediate bracing members in conventional manner.

The upper frame B is of articulate construction, and is composed of 'a number of sections as shown in FIG. 2, and it will be understood that while only one side of the sections have been shown, the sections are of conventional construction and include an opposite side similar to that shown. For purposes of illustration, it is believed that it will only be necessary to disclose one side of the connected frame sections in order to clearly understand the invention.

More specifically, the upper frame B is composed of a plurality of sections which are connected in pivoted or hinged end-to-end relation so as to form a conventional head section 13, seat or hip section 14, thigh section 15, and foot section 16. These sections are identified by the numerals applied to their side rails, and since the side rails are the same and duplicated on opposite sides of the bed frame structure, reference will be made to one side only in the following description.

The seat section 14 is supported at each side on a spacer plate 17 carried by the supporting frame A. The seat section is thus fixed and is not adjustable. The head section 13 has a pivotal connection 18 with the seat section, and the thigh section '15 has a pivotal connection 19 with the seat section. The thigh and foot sections are hingedly connected by a pivot connection 2t). The free end of the foot section is provided on each side with roller means 21 which is adapted to engage the side rail and form a support for this end of the foot section, when the foot section is in lowered position, as shown in FIG. 1. Movement of the foot section during adjustment is guided by means of an elongate link 22, this link having one end pivoted at 23 to the foot section and its opposite end pivoted at 24 to frame A. The head section 13 carries a bracket 25 at its free end for engagement with the frame A, when the head section is in lowered position.

Conventional power means with manually selectable control (not shown) are provided whereby the occupant of the bed may selectively adjust the position of the head section 13, or the position of the thigh section and connected foot section 16. As exemplary of the power means for actuating the head section, this is shown as cornprising a uid actuator with a cylinder 26 which is pivotally connected at one end of the lower frame A as indicated at 27 for vertical swinging movement. The cylinder is operatively associated with a reciprocable power delivery member 28 having its outermost end pivotally connected at 29 to the outermost end of a crank lever 30 carried by a shaft member 31 which extends transversely of the lower frame and is rotatably supported thereon in conventional manner. Also carried by the shaft member 31 is a longer actuating arm 32 which carries a roller 33 at its outermost end, this roller being adapted to bear against a suitablesurface on the head section 13. This surface may comprise one of the leg portions of the section side rail,'for example, where the side rail is constructed of an angle member. Such a leg portion is indicated in dotted lines by the numeral 34. With this arrangement, it will be apparent that when the actuating arm 32 is swung in a counter-clockwise direction by the power means, the head section will be moved to a raised position as shown in FIG. 2, while movement of the arm 32 in a clockwise direction will permit the head section to swing to a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 1.

Similar power means are utilized for adjusting the thigh section 15. In this case there is provided a Huid cylinder 35 having a power delivery element 36. The thigh section 15, as in the case of the head section, carries a bracket 37, which is positioned to engage the lower frame A when the thigh section is swung to its horizontal position, as shown in FIG. 1. This section is transversely strengthened by means of a pair of tubular bracing members 38 and 39 which extend between the side rails 15 and have their ends secured thereto. The bracing members 38 and 39 extend below the thigh section, however, and form a support for an innerconnecting member 40 which extends therebetween and has a projecting end 41 pivotally connected at 42 to the power deliver element 36. It will be observed that the connection 4Z is offset below the pivotal connection 19 of the thigh section. This offset in effect provides a lever arm so that when the power delivery element is moved to an extended position, the thigh section will be swung about its pivot 19 in a clockwise direction. Upon retraction of the power delivery element, the thigh section will be swung in the opposite direction.

Instead of utilizing conventional link fabric for the bed sections, an articulated mattress supporting unit C is provided for securement to the sections of the upper frame B to form a support for a mattress 43 as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

More specifically with reference to FIG. 3, it will be noted that the articulated unit C is provided with sections which correspond to the sections of the upper frame 4 B, namely, a head section 13a, seat or hip section 14a, thigh section 15a, and foot section 16a, respectively.

The mattress support in each section will in general comprise a substantially rectangular panel -member 44 of a sufficiently rigid material, such as plywood, as shown in FIG. 5. The panel is arranged to be secured to the frame section of the bed structure by any suitable conventional means such as anchor bolts or otherwise (not shown) so that the panel will assume the same position as its associated section. Each panel 44 is secured to the material of a pad member 45 of suitable resilient flexible material such as sponge rubber or the like. The confronting sur faces of the pad and panel are bonded together by a suitable bonding agent 46. Further, the pad material will be encased within a suitable envelope 47 of a suitable fabric 47 of cloth, plastic or other material. If desired, this envelope may have its edge margins secured to the underlying panel by any appropriate means. Preferably, the pad will be of greater thickness than the thickness of the underlying panel.

A feature of the mattress supporting unit of the present invention resides in the use of a construction wherein for example, a number of the panel sections of the mattress supporting unit have their panels in spaced relation to provide separations or spaces between the panels as indicated at 18a, 19a and 20a, which will be positioned directly above the pivot points 18, 19 and 20 of the upper frame B. The width of these spaces will be determined by the manner in which the adjacent sections are to be relatively pivoted. For example, where the adjusted panels in raised position are at an angle in which they diverge downwardly from their pivot, as in the case of sections 15 and \16 in PIG. 2, the spacing 20a may be made a minimum at the time the sections are in coplanar relation. On the other hand, if adjacent sections are to diverge upwardly in their adjusted position as in the case of sections 14 and 15, FIG. 2, then it is desirable to have a wider space 19a at the time the panels are coplanar, since this space will decrease as the panels move into an adjusted position. For this reason, the spaces 18a and 19a are normally of greater width than the space 20a.

It will also be observed that in the case of the sections 13a, 14a and 15a of the mattress supporting unit, the pad material is constructed from a single piece so that at the panel spaces 18a and 19a, the pad material will form a bridge. This will best be seen in FIG. 4.

With this arrangement, and due to the fact that the pivot points 18 and 19 are respectively disposed below these spaces 18a and `1961, these spaces in the adjusted position of the sections will become narrowed, and as a consequence the pad material in the upper surface margins of the pad above these spaces will be put into compression and inwardly creased along crease lines 48 and 419 and thus avoid producing raised bulges in these areas which Iwould be undesirable.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that it will be appreciated that the heretofore outlined objects as to the invention will be attained, and that bed structures incorporating the features of the articulated mattress support will provide inherent advantages which are not available in presently known and conventional structures.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a mattress supporting platform structure for a contour bed frame, comprising:

(a) a plurality of rigid platform panels positioned in end-to-end relation with their adjacently disposed edges in spaced apart relation; and

(b) a pad of relatively thick flexible material extending over the upper surfaces of said panels, said pad bridging the spaces between the adjacent edges of the panels, the engaged surfaces of said pad and panels being bonded together, when the panels are in a coplanar position.

2. An article of manufacture according to claim 1, including an enclosing envelope around the outer surfaces 5 6 of the pad having edge margins extending over and se- 3,143,803 18/ 1964 Lunn 5-68 X cured to said panel. 3,188,660 6/ 1965 Guttman 5--91 3,300,794 1/ 1967 Altorfer 5-68 References Cited 3,360,806 1/ 1968 Dunaway 297-457 X UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 CAsM-IR A. NUNBERG, Primm Examiner. 2,448,162 8/ 1948 Wettlaufer 12S- 36 2,674,745 4/1954 Burke 5-91 X U.S. C1. X.'R.

3,070,402 12/1962 Stanton 297-421 5-68g297-457 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0E CORRECTION Patent No. 3,447,170 June 3, 1969 Melvin P. Spitz It is certified that error' appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby eorzectecl as shown below:

Column 3, line 26, "of" should read to Signed and Sealed this 9th day of December 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

